The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-15
THE LATE MRS. AsToR.
She is Said to Have Eeen a Native of
Savannah.
From the Neio York World.

From the Neio York World.
1t was about the year 1910 that wealthy
merchant of Savannah, Ga, Mr.. Thomas
Gibbes, came North with his family to spend
the summer. The Aston House, built by Mr..
William b. Astor, father of the present
head of the family, in 1896, was at that
time not only near the fashionable portion of
the city, but was the house which attracted
the custom of the wealthy and fashionable
people from other places when visiting New
York Mr.. Gibbes and his family became
guests at the hotel. Mr.. Aston, who was q
warm friend of Mr.. Gibbes, invited the
Southern merchant and his daughter Au-
gusta to pay a visit at his country place at
Rhinebeck on the Hudson. Here his son,
Mr. John Jacob Aston, then young man
of 20, met the fair Southern maiden and
their acquaintance soon ripened into friend
ship and then into love. Their engagement
was announced the following winter and
they were married about 1S45. The only fruit
of the union, son, Mr.. William Waldorf
Aston, ex-Minister to Italy, was born the
following year. The young bride became
| at once a great favorite in her husbands
family and was especially liked by her
father-in-law, Mr.. William B. Aston. A sen-
der brunette, she had the soft voice and Gull
tivated manners of the refined Southern
women of her day. She had received re
markably thorough education and her gifts,
added to her charm of manner and person,
made her at once a prominent figure in the
comparatively small circle of New York
society of that day, irrespective of her hus-
bands wealth and position. From the first
she became interested in charitable work,
and her name was inscribed high on the list
| of the donors to the charities of the time.
| As years went by and Mrs. Aston advanced
in life her interest in charities only increased.
One of her last acts was the bestowal of
funds to erect the new Cancer Hospital, re-
Gently opened.
For some twenty-five years past Mrs.
John Jacob Aston has been tacitly recog-
nized as the leader of New York society.
She never courted or sought the position,
but it became hers naturally, as the femi:
nine head of the then wealthiest and most
| influential family in New York society.
| Her sister-in-law, Mrs. William Astor,
| formerly Miss Schermerhorn, has been
| much more participant in the livelier gay
cites than Mrs. John Jacob Astor, but the
latter's name has been considered indis-
pensable to head the list of patronesses at
all fashionable entertainments whether she
was present or not. Her cards were all in
scribed Mrs. Aston, to designate her posi-
| ton as head of the family, and her name
was thus placed on the lists afore-
said. A place on her visiting list
has also always been esteemed as
| an evidence of a persons assured social
position. OF late years she has rarely been
present at any of the Delmonico balls, save
now and then Patriarchs', and her favor
tie style of entertainment has been large
and formal dinners, given every week at
her residence at Fifth avenue and Thirty
third street during the winter season, and
at her beautiful villa, Beaulieu, at Newport,
during the summer. An invitation to one
of these dinners has always been esteemed
as an honor, and Mrs. Aston liked to gather
at her table men and women of cultivation
and ability, and chose her guests more for
these qualities than for their mere position
or aptitude for society chit-chat She was
very tenacious of old customs, and has been
one of the warmest supporters of the annual
| charity ball ever since it ceased to be a dis
| tinctively fashionable event. For many
| years she led the opening march at this ball
| with Mr.. Arthur Leary or Mr.. Edward
| Cooper. To the last, Mrs. Astor also main
| tanned the custom of receiving on New
Years day.
| The death of Mrs. Aston comes almost at
the height of one of the gayest seasons New
York society has known in many years,
| and will have an immediate and marked
effect upon it. 1t will withdraw from all
gayety not only her immediate and large
| family connection, but also large circle of
more distant relatives and numerous warm
friends to whom she had become endeared.
] The news of her death perceptibly married
the brilliancy of the ball given at belmont
cos last night by Mr.. Edward Livingston
to introduce his daughter, and will have a
still more marked effect on the Patriarchs'
ball of tonight While it was known that
Mrs. Aston was seriously i'll, no fears of her
death had been entertained, even by her
relatives, and her death is decided shock
to society. OF course Mrs. William Astor's
| ball, which had been announced to take
| place on Jan. 8, in honor of her son, John
Jacob Astor, Jr., who was recently gradu-
ated at Harvard, will be abandoned, and
| several other entertainments projected by
members of the Aston family and connec-
tions will not take place. The loss of so
prominent and influential family to society
even for awhile, especially as Mrs. William
Aston had begun to entertain this winter for
| the first time in three years, will be greatly
| felt
| Mrs. William Astor will now succeed to
Mrs. John Jacob Astor's position as the
| acknowledged leader of New York society.
Mrs. William Aston was Miss Schermerhorn,
the daughter of the late Abraham Schermer-
horn. She is handsome woman and is
| also noted for her gracious manners and
her thoughtful charities. A younger woman
than Mrs. John Jacob Aston she is much
lAOio AOAu VI SdySbFs uiAtt 10 ldIIlllldI
| figure at the opera ami at all fashionable en-
| tertainments. She has been in poor health
for some two years past, but has
lately entirely recovered. Her eldest
daughter, Mrs. James j. Van Allen, died
about six years ago Her remaining children
are Mrs. Roosevelt Roosevelt, formerly
Miss Helen Aston, Mrs. Coleman Drayton,
formerly Miss Augusta Astor, Mrs Orme
Wilson, formerly Miss Carrie Astor, and
| Mr. John Jacob Stor ,Ir Mr. and Mrs
William Astor reside in the large red brick
mansion at Fifth avenue and Thirty fourth
street. They have also a large summer
residence at Newport and a handsome place
at Rhinebeck-on-the-Hu where they
pass the spring and autumn months
Saint among Taxpayers.